Sky Stories: Rust
by Higuchimon
Summary: With nothing better to do while they wait for more information about Haou and his plans, Edo makes an unusual request of Hell Kaiser. [complete]
1. Chapter 1

**Series Title:** Sky Stories|| **Story Title:** Rust  
 **Characters:** Edo, Ryou| **Pairing:** N/A  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,231||story: 1,231|| **chapters:** 1/3  
 **Genre:** Friendship|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing Challenge, G6, three-shot; One Character Boot Camp, #24, spotty; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #2, 3,798 words  
 **Notes:** This is a new AU, thougn not an AU-type. This is wing-fic. In this setting, a large majority of people in the world develop wings at some point in their lives, usually no later than 12 or 13. Not getting them is known but rare. Wings are a combination of magic and biology, which will lead to some of the events described in the stories I write here. There's no real overarching plot, just certain events and certain stories that involve the characters of GX having wings.  
 **Summary:** With nothing better to do while they wait for more information about Haou and his plans, Edo makes an unusual request of Hell Kaiser.

* * *

"Show me your wings."

Ryou didn't even look up from where he shuffled through his deck. "No."

Edo wasn't taking that for an answer, though. He delivered a sharp stare toward Hell Kaiser's uncaring back. "Show me your wings. I want to see something."

"You've seen them before." Ryou wasn't impressed or even interested by Edo's demand. He thought this particular combination would work out nicely and he wanted to run through all the ramifications before he made up his mind on actually using it. The melding of the two Cyber decks took careful precision, even for him.

Edo _had_ seen his wings before anyway. Ryou used to wear them out proudly at virtually all times. But now he kept them tucked away unless he wanted to fly.

He also wasn't surprised when Edo touched his shoulder. "I want to preen them for you. I know for a fact you haven't done that in the whole time we've been here."

"So?" Ryou made no move to extend his shoulder appendages. Edo did what he could to preen his own wings, which required much more care than Ryou's did. Preening wasn't something that people casually _did_ , especially not if they were people like him or Edo.

Fubuki had preened him, once upon a time, and he'd returned the favor. But aside from his parents, he didn't let anyone else near his wings.

Edo's touch didn't move. "I don't think you want them to just rust off, do you?" There was definitely more than a touch of amusement in his voice. Ryou tensed at that. He didn't preen his wings often, but he'd seen them in the mirror and he knew…

Well. It wouldn't hurt and he knew that Edo wouldn't do anything _but_ clean them up. They needed each other too much in this world.

 _He's probably just bored._ He didn't blame him. There wasn't much else to do around here at the moment. There were only so many times that one could go through one's deck and they didn't dare leave the mansion without the other. Dark World meant watching one's back at all times.

That was, after all, why they shared the only decent bed in the entire mansion. Warmth and comfort came second to being aware that one's back was protected by one's partner.

With a mild sigh, he gathered up his cards and set them back in the case. He felt reasonably assured that he could work that combo and it would be very useful when it came up. There really wasn't anything else for him to do either.

He shifted away from where Edo stood, giving himself room. Edo waited, arms crossed over his chest, as if Ryou had somehow been unreasonable all this time and only now saw sense.

Spreading his wings took a little more effort than usual. That wasn't a surprise; the longer he kept them wrapped up, the harder it was to spread them out. But after a moment or two of concentration, there was a metallic _slash_ and two broad-feathered wings, shimmering with metallic highlights, spread out in what passed for their living room.

Edo gave them a very careful once-over, not touching them just yet, then shook his head. "I didn't think you'd let yourself go this much."

He meant the rust. Ryou could see it when he looked in a mirror or bent his wings the right way. They were very large wings; they needed to be in order to carry him on those few occasions he saw fit to fly anymore. And now there were spots of rust scattered all over, one or two of them the size of his hand.

The rust hurt. He just refused to admit it. His wings, like all those who had metallic wings, were of living metal, as much a part of him as his skin or hair or eyes, and the rust was akin to a rash he wasn't bothering to treat.

Edo's lips pressed together when Ryou said nothing at all, then he began to burrow into the bag he'd brought with him. Exactly why he had it when neither of them intended to come here in the first place, Ryou didn't know and didn't care enough about to ask. But what he brought out of there did catch his attention.

"Why did you bring wing oil?"

Living metal required different oil than ordinary human skin or feathers or the oils used for non-living metals. This oil was of a brand meant to take care of those with metallic wings. It wasn't the one that Ryou himself used on a regular basis, being at least two shades of quality higher than his own high preference.

"Because if you don't take care of those, you're going to pay for it," Edo snapped, also retrieving a couple of clean clothes. "Now sit down and be quiet while I do this."

Ryou mentally rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure if he'd care if his wings actually rusted to the point he couldn't move them or not, not so long as he could achieve his goal first. He didn't expect that to take too long. Vanity could take a back seat.

Fubuki would have his head if he'd heard that, he knew. But Fubuki wasn't there. There hadn't been any word of Fubuki or the others for weeks.

He almost didn't feel the first touch of Edo's hands on his wings. Edo probed carefully, hands brushing by the worst of the rusted places, then starting to rub an oil-soaked cloth along them. The longer he worked, the more the tension in Ryou's shoulders and wings began to ease up. Wing rust didn't heal right away, but he felt better within a few minutes of Edo working.

"Why did you let yourself go like this?" Edo asked. There was a quality to his voice that Ryou couldn't quite pin down. "Your wings used to be magnificent."

Ryou knew the answer. It wasn't one that he had to think about very much, but he knew it. He debated for a few moments on if he wanted to actually tell Edo, though.

 _He won't take it personally. He knows better._

"Because of the underground," he said at last. He could feel Edo's hands still for a few moments, then start to work again, carefully tending to one of the rust patches. "It didn't matter what my wings looked like there, as long as I kept on winning." He chose his words with care, more because he didn't want to reveal too much than anything else. Edo knew he wasn't well. Edo did not know why. "I wanted to win more than I wanted to waste time with my wings."

Edo said nothing as he kept on working. Ryou decided he wasn't going to say anything about it at all and started to relax even more. He didn't want to fall asleep, but it had been so long since anyone helped him with his wings, and the rust _itched_ , so the more Edo cleaned and polished, the more the itch began to fade. With that fading, he couldn't quite keep himself awake.

He thought that he heard Edo murmuring something, even as his eyes slid shut and the tension slipped away to the point he put up no resistance as sleep embraced him.

But that could've been a dream.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** I already love this universe. I have plans for almost everyone who has wings.


	2. Chapter 2

**Word Count:** chapter: 1,224||story: 2,455|| **chapters:** 2/3

* * *

Edo didn't do guilt. People made their own choices. They always had. If they were influenced by something he said or did, then those were still their choices. He had enough to worry about with whatever _he_ did without taking on other people's burdens.

But a tiny twitch of something did spark when Ryou admitted he'd stopped taking care of his wings because of the hard customs of the underground.

Edo had never been there himself. He'd wanted to. He'd suspected more than once that there were clues to his search there, but Saiou always diverted him away from it. There were more important targets. There were other ways for him to find the one who had Bloo-D. He had to make his name in the Pro Leagues and if there was even a hint that he'd visited the underground dueling circuit, let alone that he'd been mildly tempted to _duel_ in them...well, it wouldn't go well for him, would it?

Nowadays Edo knew the reasons behind that, and he knew better than to try and protest about what was long gone.

But now he couldn't help but wonder, if he'd ignored Saiou, tried a few visits there, perhaps he could've done something to help Hell Kaiser? At least to take better care of himself. Marufuji Ryou could make his own choices where dueling was concerned, and Edo would be the last person to admit that his time there had clearly done him good on that account.

But the wings. Beautiful, living metallic wings, some of the rarest kind, and they hung from Ryou's shoulders with clumps and patches of rust, clearly not having been taken care of in far, far too long.

Ryou was sort of right. There wasn't any need for him to have brought the oil along that didn't relate to Ryou's own wings. From the moment he knew that Ryou would come to Academy Island to help find the missing students, he'd also known that he would find a way to pin him down and get those wings taken care of. Someone had to do it. Ryou clearly wasn't.

So now he rubbed the oiled cloth over the rust patches. It would take more than one session of preening to really get these wings back into proper shape, and from what he'd seen of Ryou's reactions over their stay in Dark World, he couldn't yet convince himself that Ryou had that kind of time.

 _It's the underground. It has to be._ Something had happened to him there. After he'd found out Ryou spent time in that painful place, he'd done some research. There wasn't much that anyone knew about the circuit, only that it existed and that it involved pain being delivered when attacks hit. He knew that already, thanks to seeing Ryou duel his brother.

That had to be it as well. Exactly _what_ was wrong with Ryou, Edo couldn't guess. No idea of what a doctor might have to say. Only that there were times when Ryou stood pale, sweat beaded on his forehead and cheeks, hand pressed against his chest.

He would never say that he hurt. But Edo managed to catch him taking a pill once or twice. He'd never mentioned it. Ryou could keep his secrets if they meant so much to him. But Edo refused to let Ryou go to his grave – if he'd even get one here – with wings that looked as if he hadn't touched them in years. He could do that much.

He didn't feel guilty. He saw no reason to bother. A duel was a duel; someone had to lose in every match. The ones that came out to a draw were few and far between. But he did not forget, would never forget, that Ryou's downward spiral began with him. He'd fought his way back up, as any true duelist would have, and Edo enjoyed seeing him duel even more these days.

 _I helped create that,_ he'd acknowledged to himself on more than one occasion. _There would be no Hell Kaiser without me._ And without Hell Kaiser… well, Edo refused to think of what might be going on _now_ in that situation.

A glance told him that Ryou wouldn't be awake that much longer. That didn't surprise Edo in the slightest. He'd never let his own wings get this bad, but after the whole _thing_ with the Light of Ruin went down, he'd needed a good wing-preening himself, and he'd ended up falling asleep with Saiou's hands in his feathers.

He'd never touched metallic feathers like this before. They were just as warm as any other kind. He couldn't tell if they would bleed or not, and he certainly wasn't going to try and find out. They rang softly against one another as he worked. Ryou would feel _so_ much better after this. Edo didn't doubt that.

He glanced up again when Ryou's shoulders slipped downward and tried hard not to smile. "Asleep already, hm?" he murmured, knowing that Ryou wouldn't hear him at all. That was all to the good. The more rest Ryou got, the better he would be.

 _I should try to find more oil when we go to the market._ He hadn't seen many with wings here, at least not ones who didn't already have them shown in their cards. But there were one or two stalls that kept a supply of wing-oil and a few other necessities for taking care of the shoulder-appendages. That wasn't such a surprise either, not with people such as Wingweaver or Shine Angel in need of products like that. They probably worked well on Firewing Pegasi as well.

He didn't stop until he'd finished stripping as much of the rust from Ryou's wings as he could manage. The wings weren't the flawless wonders that he remembered from the first time the two of them dueled one another, but they did look much better than before.

Carefully Edo rested one hand on the warm metal, pulsing with Ryou's life. He stayed that way, not thinking anything properly for a few moments, then frowned at the sensation of something under his hands _stuttering_.

Had that been Ryou's heartbeat? It wasn't much of a movement, but he couldn't think of what else it could have been. He let his hand stay there, waiting for any other signs of whatever it was to happen again.

Another movement, not something he recognized easily, but Ryou shifted, his eyes opened for a few seconds, hazy and unclear, then closed again as whatever it was ebbed away. It didn't happen again and Edo shifted himself away, making certain to get Ryou into a comfortable position. He was too heavy for Edo to carry into the bedroom without waking him up, and it was rare enough that they could sleep like this. Rare enough that Ryou slept at all, in full honesty.

At least that was something they could offer one another here, if very little else. Edo watched for a few moments, making certain Ryou wouldn't wake up if he left, then slipped away to the bedroom, bringing back the one blanket they had and tucking it around Ryou. The oil on his wings meant the blanket would need a good scrub after this.

Ryou could do it. It was his turn for the laundry anyway.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** I'll put up the third and final chapter tomorrow. I put two up tonight because this is for one of my Endurance Challenges and the particular requirements of it meant that I needed two chapters for tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Word Count:** chapter: 1,343||story: 3,798|| **chapters:** 3/3

* * *

Ryou examined the blanket to make certain he had all the stains out, then draped it over the drying rack, dusted himself off, and started out of the laundry room. It was called a laundry room for the simple reason that was where they did what little laundry they had. Neither of them brought changes of clothing along with them when they'd gotten swept up into this confusing situation, but clothes didn't care that their owners couldn't easily replace them. Clothes got dirty regardless.

Modesty wasn't something he or Edo worried about that much anymore. When their clothes needed washing, they washed them, and put them back once they dried. Though in fairness, they did do that mostly after dark, with a cheerful fire burning in the laundry room fireplace. Neither of them cared what the other saw. But people whom they didn't know? Ryou didn't think the state of his body was anyone else's business but his own.

Edo lounged in their main room, flipping through a few cards, his wings stretched out over his back and legs. Like most wings, his were long enough to cover all of him. Ryou took a look, since Edo had them out for display anyway.

Most people would say that Edo's wings were angelic. His feathers were a mix of silver-gray and white, with a few touches of blue on the edge, matching the rest of his coloring. He didn't have them fully spread out right now, since that would've covered most of the room and not left Ryou anywhere to sit.

Ryou took a careful look at them and knew differently.

"They're swan wings, aren't they?"

Edo glanced up, one eyebrow quirked. "Excuse me?"

"Your wings. Everyone I know who mentioned them says they're angel wings, but they're not." Ryou shook his head, settling into his preferred chair and bringing his own wings out for a quick inspection. Edo insisted on preening him every day, which helped with the rust spots. That meant the blanket had to be washed every day as well, but the weather here was warm, and they had their wings for more if they needed them. After two weeks of regular care, Edo's bottle of wing-oil was almost empty and Ryou's wings gleamed like they had when he'd graduated Duel Academia.

Edo's face revealed nothing as he turned back to his cards. "Of course they're angel wings. They're white. All white wings are angel wings."

"No, they're not. White feathers do not mean angel wings." Ryou picked up a glass full of some strange pale green liquid and gave it a very careful look. "What is this?"

"It's a drink they make a couple of villages over. I got it at the market today. It's supposed to improve one's energy and speed healing." Edo didn't look up as he spoke. "I don't like the taste of it. You can have it."

Ryou took a careful sip, finding the taste of honey and mint flowing over his tongue, not so sweet it would revolt him, but just enough to satisfy him. He couldn't say if he found himself any more energetic but a few drops could hardly do that much. He sipped a little more.

"If you -" Edo broke off as there was a sudden banging on the mansion door. The two of them looked at one another for a heartbeat. They had never had many visitors after dark, and to have one on laundry night wasn't the best of timing. "I'll take care of it."

Edo stood, his wings shifting around until they vanished altogether. Not everyone could conceal their wings like that – Asuka hadn't ever caught the trick of it, Ryou remembered – but Edo didn't seem to have any problems mastering any trick that he chose. Now clad only in his own skin, Edo strolled down to the main door.

Ryou set himself where he could see what was going on, his own wings out and ready if he needed to do something. There was enough room for him to strike if he needed to. Edo could move fast enough to get out of the way.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

A knight of some sort stood at the door, or at least someone in head to toe silver-washed armor. It wasn't a particular monster that Ryou recognized, but identifying them came second to wanting to know why they were there in the first place.

He could easily envision the calm look Edo gave them, a look that shouldn't have been possible from someone standing there in nothing but his birthday suit.

"Can I help you?"

The knight hesitated, helmet-head tipping upward to meet Edo's eyes. "My troop is in the area searching for any who serve Haou." The head tilted up higher, pride rippling off of them. "Would you know any such foul beings in the area?"

Ryou could only see Edo's back but he read the set of his shoulders and the tilt of his head very well. Edo wasn't impressed by this knight at all.

"No. We haven't seen anyone but ordinary villagers here for weeks." Which wasn't entirely true, but neither Edo nor Ryou saw any actual reason to tell the truth to this person. A few words that just _said_ they fought against Haou weren't enough to convince either of them.

He couldn't see the knight's face either but he could guess the confusion from the way their head moved. "'We'?"

"Yes." Edo still didn't move, but Ryou could recognize a cue when he heard one. He leaped downward, wings spread out to counter gravity, and strolled over to join Edo at the doorway. "We prefer living here in peace to being bothered by the war."

They'd discussed this before, though having it involve being actually nude hadn't come up in their considerations before. But now Ryou rested a hand on Edo's shoulder.

"Is something the matter?" He gave them his very best glowering look, the one he turned on idiots who wanted to ask questions that weren't any of their business.

The knight stared at them, trying very hard not to lower their gaze away from their faces. "No. Of course not. Have a good -" They swallowed, then delivered a quick salute and hurried away to where a group of other knights, all in identical armor, waited. Ryou could hear some kind of excited babbling but in moments, all of them rode on out of sight, with the occasional glance being thrown toward the mansion, until the visitors vanished out of sight.

Edo closed and locked the door, every movement snappish with annoyance, before he turned to Ryou. "What were you saying about my wings?" It was rather obvious he wanted a complete subject change from annoying visitors. Ryou could not blame him at all.

And yet he couldn't resist something so obvious.

"You don't have angel wings. Someone with angel wings wouldn't have lied like a rug just now."

Edo sniffed. "I didn't lie. We don't want to be bothered by the war." That was so. Their intent was to end it, by ending Haou, if they could.

But Ryou kept on. "If they'd tried to force their way in, or anything else, you would've broken then in half. With your wings." As they would be the only weapons that Edo had on him at the moment, there was no lie there either. Ryou let a small amused smile touch his lips. "Your wings are just like you: hidden danger. Your wings are _swan_ wings."

Edo stared at him for a handful of moments before he flashed a dangerous grin of his very own. "Saiou's the only person who ever figured that out without being told. I won't even let them put it on my official Pro League article." He shook his head before gesturing back to the main room. "Care to get tonight's preening started?"

"I don't think I have anything more pressing to do," Ryou said, leading the way.

Maybe he'd preen Edo as well tonight.

 **The End**

 **Notes:** What other kind of wings would Edo have, seriously?


End file.
